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tragicbeauty1991 · 6 years

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For that heckin long OC ask meme - J. Hook: A) 7, 17, 24; D) 3 (explore this one as deeply as you so desire..), 4; F) 2; G) 6; L) 2

Whoo boy, I took forever to answer this Sorry! *cracks knuckles* Okay, here we go!

A7: Is your character confident in their reactions to life in general, or do they get embarrassed or easily shamed for it? I.e., if something startles them, do they insist it WAS scary? When they cry, do they feel like they overreacted?

Generally speaking, Hook is pretty confident in his day to day life–perhaps a bit overconfident even. However, when it comes to his interactions with the crocodile or any other display of what he would consider a moment of weakness (fear, sadness, love, or any softer emotion), rather than trying to validate his behavior, he prefers to just avoid acknowledging that anything ever happened. He has a sort of mental box he puts such feelings in and locks them all away. Then it’s like someone flipped a switch and he’s back to his usual authoritative self. And because of who he is and how dangerous he can be when he’s angry, no one ever brings these incidents up.

A17: What’s one of your character’s proudest moments of themselves?

The day he first became captain of his own ship probably ranks among his proudest moments from the earlier part of his life. Prior to living a life of piracy, he was a captain in the Royal Navy. The fact that he both earned his title in the navy and maintained it through popular vote after going rogue is a point of great pride for him, and despite the fact that he eventually came to hate the navy and the king for writing his legitimate privateering efforts off as piracy, he still remembers the day he was first named captain and given his own ship fondly.

However, I think the absolute proudest moment of my version of the character’s life is probably the moment he first held his daughter. Being a father was not something he ever really wanted, but once he had a child of his own, he found that he became fiercely protective of her and incredibly devoted. I don’t think he ever dreamed of being able to love someone so much until the day she was born.

A24: What are some of your character’s biggest personal obstacles? This could be emotional, physical, social… Are they aware of it? Are they trying to overcome it?

Oh, boy…there are so many ways that I could answer this one. Hook has…issues…. Lots of issues.

Emotionally, his biggest obstacle is that he shuts himself off from almost everyone, and while he is aware of it, he doesn’t care to change it for a very long time. It’s a sort of safety mechanism for him–don’t get too close to anyone or show them too much of yourself and they can’t hurt you. But then, of course, such isolation also leads to incredible loneliness. It’s kind of a catch-22, but he’d rather feel lonely than be rejected or feel the pain of loss again. Eventually, he grows a lot in this area, but it takes an experience with the crocodile, leaving Neverland, and starting a new life and a new family before he finally starts to change his ways.

Physically, he has already overcome his greatest obstacle–learning to use his non-dominant hand for writing, drawing, fighting, etc. and getting used to the hook. The process was V E R Y slow, but he didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter. It took weeks just for him to heal enough to feel like trying to write, months before his handwriting actually looked acceptable, and even longer before he could draw and learn to play his harpsichord and piano. Learning to fight again didn’t take quite as long since Peter grew impatient and forced him into “practicing” before he was really physically up for it. His choice was to fight or die, so he learned how to fight very quickly.

D3: How comfortable are they with the idea of death?

Ha. Ha. Hahaha. Um, NOT AT ALL. At least, not prior to or during his time in Neverland. As a child, Hook spent his life surrounded by death but never quite touched by it. Growing up, he heard whispers of a brother who disappeared as an infant and was presumed dead. Later, his father was lost at sea, and his mother slowly faded away with an illness so that before he entered his teenage years, he was an orphan. He himself was a rather sickly child, though he never had any real brushes with death after his second birthday. Later in life, he lost a wife and child. And of course, as a pirate, he saw many deaths and was often responsible for them. One would think that after so much exposure to death, he would have been more comfortable with it, but instead, it sort of traumatized him. Seeing so many dead-eyed expressions often made him wonder what it was those dead eyes saw, if anything at all. The fear of not knowing troubled him greatly, and he was never quite sure whether simply fading from existence and entering a state of nothingness or the tortures that might await him in hell frightened him more. His religious experiences earlier in life were somewhat artificial and left his (at that time very practical, scientific) young mind wanting.

Yet after a very near-death experience with the crocodile in Neverland and having a more genuine experience with the church (through his relationship with his new family), he eventually comes to be at peace with the idea and is ready to accept death when it does finally come.

D4: Would they like to be immortal? Why, why not? If they are immortal, would they rather not be?

See, this one is tricky because he is KIND OF immortal in Neverland (at least from dying of old age) but not really since he can still technically be killed. And while death frightened him for a large part of his life, I don’t think he would actually have chosen to be immortal…partly because there were times when he definitely found death more appealing than life and partly because even when he wasn’t sure he believed in an afterlife, a small part of him held onto hope that he would be reunited with lost loved ones after death. If anything, I’d say he’d want a do-over at life rather than to live the life he had for forever.

F2: What’s their ideal home look like? Where is it?

The sea and his ship have been such a big part of his life for so long that at this point, I think it’s a part of him. Even when living on land for an extended period of time post-Neverland, he has to take to the sea every so often, or else he gets restless and starts to feel almost claustrophobic being stuck within four walls and amid the hustle and bustle of London. There is something about the freedom of the open ocean that makes him feel alive and really lets him breathe easy. So, in a sense, his ship is and always will be his home.

His ideal home on land would, therefore, have to be close to the sea (ideally within walking distance so that he could look out the window and see the ocean on the horizon). It would be a fairly large house with plenty of space, though probably not the size of a mansion or manor home. Inside, the house would be filled with ornate furnishings and beautiful pieces of art. A library and a music room would be a must. Outside, there would be magnificent gardens and open fields with a walkway leading down to the docks.

G6: Do they have any favorite childhood memories?

Ummm…this one is…hard to answer. Hook’s childhood was not exactly what you’d call happy, so he would have a difficult time trying to pick out a favorite childhood memory, but learning to play music was probably the highlight of his younger years. He had a fairly good relationship with his teacher, and once he learned how to play well, he discovered that he could close his eyes and forget the world around him while listening to the music. It was his only relief from the difficulties of daily life growing up and the only thing that kept him sane in Neverland.

L2: What do you consider the biggest themes in your character, if any?

With pretty much all of my favorite characters, I tend to write with a redemptive theme in mind, but of course, this theme doesn’t usually appear until AFTER the main events of the original story have taken place. Prior to his redemptive arc, I’d say his themes include angst, isolation/loneliness, existential dread, and vengeance.

#captain hook #james hook #captain james hook #ask meme #character ask meme #headcanon

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